All-rounder wanted: England's search for the next Andrew Flintoff

Ali Bacher reckons there have only ever been 42 genuine Test all-rounders. England are lucky to have two new contenders for the role

Since Andrew Flintoff retired to take up a career in boxing, panel quiz participation and literary criticism, England have struggled to find a replacement all-rounder. Photograph: Keith Williams/Action Images

ENGLAND'S ALL-ROUNDERS

Wanted: one international all-rounder. Should be able to bat No6 and bowl fast. Ability to reverse swing the ball is ideal, experience in the first division of the County Championship is essential. All applications considered, some more seriously than others. England are considering the candidates. Before this one-day series started, their bowling coach David Saker said that "we are searching for players who can play that multi-task role" and that the "more all-rounders we have in the group, that's great."

This is a switch. Since Andrew Flintoff retired in 2009, England have been content to play three quicks and a spinner, supplemented by a second if conditions suit, and bolstered by a little help from their batsmen. Their predilection for picking and sticking with a four-man attack has been vindicated by their results in that time. It was a formula that won them three consecutive Ashes series, and made them the World's No1 team. Now though, they seem keen to bring in an all-rounder, mindful, perhaps, that this is one area in which South Africa, who have replaced England at the top of the rankings, have a clear advantage.

Ali Bacher, the old South African Test batsman and team manager has just written a history of his country's all-rounders, as rich a seam as almost any other in sport. It covers 13 of the finest, from Jimmy Sinclair through to Jacques Kallis. He lays claim to a couple of England's better ones too, Basil D'Oliveira and Tony Greig. Since those two finished playing, England, two conspicuous exceptions aside, seem to have been stuck with a succession of wannabes, never-will-bes, and never-weres, picking a succession of own-brand Ian Bothams, as Barney Ronay memorably called them, who never quite cut it in the 1990s.

Andy Flower has had an understandable aversion to playing an all-rounder just for the sake of balancing the side. He has been fortunate in that he hasn't had to. He has been blessed with a strong lower-order of Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, and, when he's been picked, Tim Bresnan. Since Andrew Flintoff retired there haven't been many – any – all-rounders Flower felt worth accommodating.

Warwickshire supporters will feel that was a little unfair on Rikki Clarke. He was the last seam-bowling all-rounder to make his Test debut for England, against Bangladesh back in 2003. Until, that is, they picked Chris Woakes to play at The Oval. He's now back at Warwickshire, and Ben Stokes is being given a run in the one-day team. The two of them are on trial. There are a few others around too. England's current squad also includes Chris Jordan, who has blossomed as a fast bowler since he quit Surrey for Sussex, taking 52 wickets at 27 this season, but whose natural talent with the bat remains relatively unfulfilled. Clarke himself, and Somerset's Craig Overton, both went on tour with the England Lions to Australia last winter.

It's telling though that England's selectors have spurned the two leg spinners, Adil Rashid and Scott Borthwick, who have both been batting brilliantly in the top six this season. Samit Patel is outcast too, to his obvious irritation. England seem very clear about the type of all-rounder they are looking for.

Both Stokes and Woakes have impressive records and good references. Woakes has played 84 first class matches, has a batting average of 37, with six centuries, and takes his wickets at under 26 apiece. When he was Warwickshire coach, Ashley Giles said that if he could clone one of his players, it would be Woakes. "Everything about him is impressive. He trains hard, he works hard on his fitness, he's receptive to new ideas and he's low maintenance," Giles said, "He has a future as a genuine all-rounder."

Stokes, on the other hand, has played slightly fewer first class matches, with 56, has a batting average of 36, with eight centuries, and a bowling average of 27. 'He is good enough to become a specialist No 6 batsman, with all that entails," Paul Collingwood said at the start of this season. "He bowls at really good pace and moves the ball both ways with conventional swing. And standing at slip to him against Warwickshire, I saw one of the best spells of reverse-swing I've ever seen. It was awesome. We are talking serious, serious potential, huge talent and immense competitiveness."

Statistically then, there's little difference between them. At first class level at least, both comfortably pass the old test of having a batting average that easily outstrips their bowling average, and each could reasonably expect to hold a place in their county side on the strength on one skill alone. Both are still a long way shy of reaching that standard in international cricket. But then few players ever have. Bacher, whose book includes more complex calculations of what makes a good Test all-rounder, reckons there have only been 42 in the history of the game.

England then, are lucky to have two players who could be capable of qualifying, given time. The next Ashes may come too soon for either. All-rounders, who have so much to master, require an age to mature. Flintoff played Test cricket for five years before he reached his peak. But England have rarely had two such talented young contenders as Woakes and Stokes. It will be intriguing to see which of them gets the job.